


Consequences

by Olorisstra



Series: Hydrospanner in the works [5]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Child Soldiers, children in stressful situations, eugenetics philosophies, some implied violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 13:58:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7055335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olorisstra/pseuds/Olorisstra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The simulation is an unparalleled success.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> I know that at one point the tense of the time changes and then switches back to the one that’s going on for most of the fic, but that’s the only way this fic wanted to be written, as irritating as that is for me.

The simulation is an unparalleled success.

The focus and precision demonstrated by Torrent Company surpass all previous simulations and recorded results. There is a zero casualty rate on their part and a hundred percent casualty and property damage rate on the enemy side. The rescue plan the officers laid out was executed with a speed and a synchronicity that are going to be the new standard all units have to achieve, if they are to be considered ready for deployment.

CL-OWK-24 is retrieved without a scratch on him, brought back to the ‘allied’ side of the room. He is immediately entrusted into the care of Torrent’s company CMO to get checked over for any potential injury, his protests regarding his fully operational status discarded. CL-OWK-24 is, to their standards, both too young to actually know proper Jedi healing techniques and not a trained medical professional. Torrent Company officers will not bend on having checked out by an actual competent medic.

It is good procedure and, in the case of a Padawan, acceptable behavior and decision-making. A commanding officer, and full fledged Jedi Knight, ought to be obeyed unthinkingly and their opinion respected, naturally, but they are not testing their reactions to a knight. After some deliberation, it is recognized and logged in that CL-OWK-24 lacks the commanding presence that the Jedi will wield and thus has a limited impact on the clone troopers.

* * *

There is a marked reluctance, on the clone trooper’s part, to allow CL-OWK-24 to be escorted away by his Kaminoan handlers, but before it can be properly recorded whether or not it would lead to insubordination, CL-OWK-24 unknowingly interferes with that part of the testing.

* * *

“I am willingly going with them.” Tee Four tells the troopers, raising a hand to quell them, mindful of imitating the physical gestures of the Jedi he has been made to watch holos of. It's important for the troopers to develop an understanding and instinctive reaction to commonly used Jedi body language, or so the Kaminoans insist. Tee Four doesn't mind. He likes playing Jedi for his men.

He looks them in the eyes, one by one, and smiles, reassuringly, silently willing them to trust him in this.

“The simulation is over, readings have to be taken.” He reminds them and then, because he can see that they are unsettled and worried and not at all at ease with the idea of him just disappearing off with Lia We and Tel Ka: “I am sure I will be allowed to come visit you when I am done.”

The troopers are uneasy, all of them up to their officers, but when the Commander receives an official order to let him go, he reports it to the troops and they obey it, much to Tee Four’s relief.

He smiles at them, happy that no one will get hurt, today.

 _Thank you, for trusting me_ he sends to them, proud of how reasonable they are.

* * *

Tee Four wasn’t truly sure that the Kaminoans will allow him to visit them, but he can fake confidence pretty well.

It’s unprecedented, for him to go see and actually interact in any meaningful way with the troopers. 

In fact, today is the most interaction he’s had with them since he first met them.

He has talked to them, true, but only with his mind and never when his handlers might notice it. He is not supposed to, because of the risk of an emotional bond developing between him and them. All he’s supposed to do is make the rounds, check on them, and let them get used to the feeling of a Light Side Force User near them, taking care of them.

Jedi are known for being caretakers and for worrying about any being in their care. The troopers will be theirs to command. It will be natural for the Jedi to come to care for them and to feel responsibility for their lives. It might be overwhelming for the troopers, given how much they are made to resonate with the Jedi, if they are not already used to it.

It’s the whole reason Tee Four and his brothers were brought into being.

He can feel Six O'Clock and Thrive in the back of his mind, already coming up with arguments to present to the Kaminoans to make it happen, starting with 'It would be detrimental for them to have the first promise a Light Side user made to them be broken’ and keeping on with the natural follow-up of 'Jedi are known for being honest and for wanting to take care of their allies, to show them differently would be detrimental long-term’.

It all sounds very logic, transforming the fact that Tee Four will see the clones, once everyone is done with the science-y part of things and the scientists are satisfied, into the kind of emotionless planning the Kaminoans appreciate. It's deliberately framed so that it will appeal to his handlers and he knows that's Thrive's touch smoothing out Six O'Clock's ideas.

Tee Four isn’t as good at that, using logic to get his way, as the twins, especially Thrive, are. He's very grateful for the assistance they are giving them. Especially since he’s awfully distracted by the impulse he’s feeling, to turn back on his heel and go hug the troopers that came to his rescue, to give them physical reassurance that they did good and that he is safe and sound.

He has seen the clones do that for each other, the physical contact thing, during their down time. Casual touches, arms wrapped around bodies, hugging, sitting very close to each other or even forming groups where every trooper is somehow in contact with the other troopers around him. It was fascinating to witness.

He is not supposed to be aware of it, he isn’t supposed to know anything about the clones but what he is told and what he can see when he makes his rounds, but he was in room with nothing to do but try meditating and Six O'Clock and Thrive encouraged him to follow their minds down the corridors and all the way to the barracks the clones shared.

(Apparently watching what the clones do is one of the most entertaining things the twins can do with their time. It's certainly more interesting than watching the Kaminoans.)

Neither Tee Four nor the twins had ever imagined sentients could find comfort in physical touch, before then. No one ever touches him, unless it is necessary for his tests, and the twins have not been out of their tubes ever since Tee Four qualified. Not unless it was to have tests run on them which, again, doesn’t lead to touching.

The quintuplets have never been out of their tubes full stop, but, as far as their three older siblings could ascertain, they seem to be doing something of the sort. The contact they share, however, is mental, their minds snuggling so close to each other that it’s gotten progressively harder to determine which mind belongs to which body.

It’s either a flaw that will get them scrapped or a strength they will need. It really depends on which conditions they will be let out of the tubes under and how well they handle it. Thrive seems to think it’s the latter, but Six O'Clock worries and Tee Four honestly doesn’t know what to think. The bond the twins have is nowhere close to what the quintuplets have developed and the bond that Tee Four has to the twins is not even in the same galaxy as that.

 _Pay attention, you are almost at the labs_. Thrive murmurs in his mind and Tee Four blinks, sending back the mental equivalent of a grateful nod. He can’t afford to be caught in his thoughts by the scientists, lest he gets sent to the psych division for a round of 'Let’s make sure CL-OWK-24 is not starting to develop mental quirks that will impact his usefulness’.

He’s heard enough about those to be properly scared of the potential consequences.

* * *

Tel Ka is the one who talks to the higher ups, while Lia We keeps Tee Four company as he is checked over, the transmitters that were attached to his body taken off and preserved for more in-depth studies of the data they have recovered.

He comes back to tell them that Tee Four pleased their superiors and that they think that his idea of visiting the troopers after a difficult experience for them is a good one, as it fits in with the Jedi-like behavior Tee Four is supposed to adopt around the troopers.

Tel Ka is not lying, but he is not telling everything either. It might be cause to worry, according to Thrive, but Tee Four can’t help but relax. He smiles and thanks his handlers for their understanding and patience, giving them the respect they are due as supervisors of his project.

No one ever told him everything, at any point, so this is normal, not noteworthy. He doesn’t get why Thrive gets so worked up about it. His brother can keep his bad feelings, Tee Four is just happy that he will be able to visit the clones, check on them and finally see, with his own eyes, their accommodations.

* * *

It had felt like getting the wind ripped out from under their sails, to have T4 taken out of their custody so fast. 

It might happen in the field too, yes, with the Jedi they will be assigned too, their Jedi, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach, to have him escorted away when they had just brought him to safety. When he had just talked to them for the first time, his voice softer out loud than it had been in their minds.

It had felt right to have him there in their midst, a feeling that was bone deep and encompassing, binding them tighter as a unit because of what they had accomplished and just how flawlessly. It had been almost exhilarating, even, in a way that left them feeling giddy and like cracking smiles or exchanging knowing glances from inside their helmets, where they couldn’t be seen by the cameras.

And then the Kaminoans had come and T4 had let them take him away, out there where they couldn’t guarantee his safety, couldn’t provide for him if he found himself in need. It had left the whole of Torrent Company feeling on edge, unease seeping through them and keeping them on high alert as they tried, and failed, to gather information on how T4 was faring.

There was a general feeling they had, that it was going well enough, but it was a hunch, not solid, unequivocal data and while that kept the tension from spilling over, possibly into actions that might have led to the scrapping of at least some of them, it did nothing to defuse the tension that they’d been left with.

It did attract the attention of the Kaminoans working on them, to a point where they left Torrent Company to wait in the exam gym and went to talk about it behind closed doors. Which did nothing to quell the other gut feeling, the one that said that they might be about to be screwed over.

Glances were exchanged.

Some more glances were exchanged because glances had been exchanged, leading to officers placing themselves near certain members of the Company. 

No one said anything, most of them busying themselves by making good use of the gym’s equipment, as it allowed them to move without the movement being fidgeting.

When, finally, the familiar sense of _Jedi approaching_ filtered through their consciousness, all of those movements slowed to a halt. Some of the less careful heads even turned to look straight at the door.

Tension of another kind started to build, as a budding sense of relieved elation started to fill each of the clone troopers in the room. Weights were put back on their stands, machines were paused to allow their users to lean forward and take a deep calming breath, the officers crept closer to those certain members of the squad, no serial numbers given, just in case.

The door opened and T4, still wearing the padawan robes he had been given for the simulation, stepped inside, giving a nod to one of his handlers as the door closed again. For a moment, no one did anything.

Then T4 smiled and greeted them with a polite “Hello” that was immediately followed by a mental _I’m happy you are all well_.

CT-5597 started forward first, Kix only a fraction of second slower in making a beeline for the boy, and by the time both clones reached him, the rest of Torrent Company was hot on their heels, grouping around the boy in a circle and hovering, wanting to touch him to reassure themselves but not sure they might be allowed to.

Hardcase was the one who, as usual, gave in to his impulses and reached out, not only touching T4 but putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders and drawing him close to look him up and down.

“Are you alright, sir?” He asked, face serious as he run his hands down the boy’s arms, reassuring himself that he was there, he was fine, and feeling almost weak in the knees with relief.

“I am perfectly fine.” T4 agreed, beaming at him with the 'sunrise smile’ as some trooper in the 104th had labeled it. _You did an outstanding job and in record time too. I am so proud of all of you._ He added, mentally, as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Hardcase, pressing his body against the trooper and rubbing his cheek on his shoulder.

It made the tension, the reserve, break and suddenly they all mobbed around T4, reaching to touch him and drawing from pair of arms to pair of arms, some of them distributing quiet punches to anyone who might protest at having their Jedi taken from them.

* * *

“This is the most emotion we have seen out of them.” One of the scientists comments, the intonation of his voice fully implying the dissatisfaction hir feels for the clones’ reaction.

“It was inevitable.” The colleague on hir left reminds hir, politely. “They are supposed to be capable of emotions and by making them resonant with Light Side Force Users we ensured they would have stronger reactions to Force Sensitives.”

“This is all within the expected parameters.” Taun We notes, after checking on the charts that has been drawn to represent where the line between acceptable and unacceptable physical and emotional responses lays. “However, to encourage a deeper bond with CL-OWK-24 itself would not be appropriate.”

Murmurs of agreement immediately rise through the room.

“Prepare CL-OWK-25 and CL-OWK-26 for consciousness and see to it that they have distinctive traits to differentiate them from CL-OWK-24. We will start a rotation of interaction that will put none of them in contact with any specific cohort for long.” She decides, giving the charts back to the scientist who brought them to her.

As soon as notes are taken and agreement is manifested again, Taun We turns away from the monitors depicting the still-going group-hug of T4 and heads out, directed not to her office but to the labs on other side of the facility, as far away from both the clone troopers and the main CL-OWK project labs as they could be built.

She enters the last lab of the facility, exquisitely colored, and waits for the scientists there to finish their work and approach her. There tubes in this lab, are all unoccupied, and the screens that would normally show the interior of the rooms on the other side of the lab are opaque.

“How is the Other Side project proceeding?” She asks and waits to be debriefed.


End file.
